Field of the Invention
The invention concerns a patient transport system, and to a method for docking a mobile patient transport device belonging to the patient transport system.
Description of the Prior Art
In hospitals a patient transport device, e.g. a mobile patient table, also known as a trolley, that is able to be mechanically coupled to another device can be used for the transport of a patient from a treatment room to a magnetic resonance tomography (MRT) apparatus (for a neurological operation, for a cardiovascular intervention or for radiation therapy planning). In many hospitals or medical practices, however, a room in which there is an MRT apparatus is not always directly connected to the treatment room. This means that the trolley must be transported from one room to the other and when this is done it has to be decoupled in one room and connected or coupled to the MRT device in the other room. Because of space problems the trolley cannot be coupled directly to the MR bore (scanner) or the therapy system. Because of the mechanical requirements on the trolley and the weight of the patient, the trolley can be very heavy and easily uncoupled or not correctly coupled, which can lead to damage to the coupling system. This may possibly mean that an examination cannot take place.
Therefore a support system is needed that guides the trolley to the coupling system of the MR system or therapy system and couples it to such systems, in order to avoid damage to the coupling system.
The docking of a patient transport device to a medical device ideally should be done quickly and efficiently in order to keep the stress on the patient low and to not interrupt the medical workflow. A trolley is disclosed in the US 20060167356 A1 that provides automatic support for the docking process. The latching of the trolley to the medical device is assisted by sensors, in order to avoid operators from having difficulty in connecting the trolley and the medical device.
A patient transport device is described in DE 102013208610.5 that has a central fifth wheel that can be controlled in rotation around a vertical axis, to facilitated maneuverability of the transport device.
A movable device is known from U.S. Pat. No. 7,117,090 B2 to which a rotatable camera is attached that can record panoramic images around the device, so that potential collisions with obstacles can be prevented.